Russian assault destroys Ukrainian village church

A Russian strike overnight Wednesday destroyed a church in the village of Darivka in Ukraine’s southern Kherson district, according to a local bishop. Bishop Nikodim Kulygin, head of the Kherson diocese of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, shared a photo in which the church’s roof appeared completely gone. Its towers were burned out with only the structural beams remaining.

The building was the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin, recently constructed by locals in honor of fallen Ukrainian soldiers from the village, Kulygin said. He did not report any injuries or deaths resulting from the attack.

The Russian assault overnight also heavily targeted Kyiv and its surrounding region, causing 17 deaths and 44 injuries there, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The main targets were warehouses belonging to civilian businesses, along with infrastructure and a railway station, he said. The businesses weren’t war-related, he said.

Russia used 24 ballistic missiles, among other weapons and drones, in the attack, Zelenskyy said. Ballistic missile interceptors could have saved many lives, he said, urging partner nations to supply more interceptors quickly. He also called for increased sanctions on Russia to curb its missile production.

Russia contended that the warehouses it attacked overnight were involved in the delivery of military supplies, according to state-run media source TASS. The Russian government also said that a Ukrainian Hornet drone targeted a hospital ward in occupied Donetsk, killing a woman and injuring two more.

Dig deeper: Read Joanna Innsco’s report on recent progress of a Russia sanctions bill in the U.S. Senate.